LS – Chapter 156: Circle next

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There was no exaggeration in the information Raheight told me. Even if the strength of the resident of Yugura’s planet was nonexistent, his way of being was enough of a threat.

That degree of dyeing at such a young age. Those were the eyes of someone who has peered into the darkness of people by his own will.

I don’t know why he chose to do that, but I have to see him as being on the same level or above the people who live in the darkness of this world.

I enter the premises of a residence that’s supposedly vacant. At that place, my brethren who excel in battle even in Leitis were awaiting me there with their hoods worn low to avoid being recognized.

They are all masters of stealth that don’t lose to the anbus of the nations. It is the people we were planning on using to steal away the resistance of the nations at the time when Gestaf and his group were overthrowing the nations.

There’s 60 of them. These numbers work well enough to move in the shadows.

“Ritial-sama, we have convened as your urgent call requested. What’s the reason behind this?”

“They have discovered my identity. I can’t stay in Kuama any longer.” (Ritial)

I can tell the people around are faintly flustered. I have made a name for myself at a young age as an adventurer. It is because the trust you earn from that isn’t shaken easily.

But me having to meet Gestaf and the others directly as someone with the ‘Eyes of Truth’ so that their hearts will stay true ended up biting me back.

“I am thinking about having everyone drop the faculties of Kuama in the end. All units, please eliminate the ones we were planning to eliminate at first.” (Ritial)

“But there’s still time before the Scarlet Demon Lord moves…”

“Right. But if we weaken them once, we can use that as an excuse to guide new pawns and steer the wills of the other countries.” (Ritial)

If Kuama is trying to recover on their own, we just have to create an opening. If they try to ask for help from other countries, that would divert their attention which is a welcome result.

Withdrawing the people of Leitis that we sneaked in so deeply would just be running away.

There will be casualties, but we just have to replenish our numbers.

I beckon the messenger. First we have to understand the current situation of Kuama.

“How’s the state of the person in question?” (Ritial)

“About the black haired man you told us to keep an eye on…he is currently marching towards the southern base with the Kuama soldiers and his comrades.”

“So he really did sniff that one out. Gotta praise him despite being an enemy.” (Ritial)

I left faint traces in the Morgana Guild’s headquarters. It was information I purposely left for our decoy base. But in order to not make it too obvious that it is a decoy, you need a good degree of wits to find the place.

I have to respect the fact that they have solved it in such a short period of time and are making preparations to encircle the place.

But it is too soon to be relieved.

“Have you confirmed whether the people keeping an eye have had some sort of mind manipulation magic on them?” (Ritial)

“We have. We have received the reports of the 3 from differing locations.”

“Pretending to get caught? …Doesn’t seem to be the case.” (Ritial)

“Aren’t you being overly cautious? In the first place, I feel like that southern base was a plot way too good to waste as a decoy.”

“The enemy can predict the best location. If this were a military operation, there would be advantages to securing it without regards, but what we are trying to achieve here is a secret revolution. The act itself of standing in the same stage as the enemy is a poor move. It is better to make a decoy look the tastiest.” (Ritial)

That man should be able to consider that this is a decoy. But he has no choice but to make sure of it. It is the truth that that location would be the most troublesome if the enemy were there after all.

“Once they finish closing the perimeter and discover that the base is an empty shell, they will spread out their forces again and begin searching. We will use that moment to invite chaos and stir the pot up as much as possible.” (Ritial)

““Yes sir!””

My brethren answer at the same time. I will also act as much as possible, and if the opportunity arises, I will rescue Raheight before escaping Kuama.

“Oh? There’s less than I thought? I heard you were planning on overthrowing the country, so I was expecting 10 times more than this though?”

Almost everyone activated their detection magic the moment this voice echoed. All the people here have been trained to react almost instantly to any anomalies. I am no exception as the person who taught them these techniques.

I used detection magic, searched for people outside of my brethren, and my brain stopped for a moment.

We are surrounded -but not by humans. We have been surrounded by countless monsters.

My vision went black the moment I recognized this. This is not magic.

This house has been physically isolated from the light of the moon.

There’s two things I realized. One of them is that the black walls suddenly surrounding this residence are made out of countless monsters -created by transforming devils.

And the one other thing is that there’s two clear enemies within this space.

I could tell immediately who one of them was. The Unique devil that I encountered at the guild headquarters.

And the other one is…

“I didn’t expect you to meet me directly at a place like this, Purple Demon Lord.” (Ritial)

A purple dress with lavish gorgeous jewels decorating it, then there’s her long purple hair that’s even more glossy than the dress itself, and her clear white skin creating an exquisite contrast.

The Demon Lord that created the vastest Nether in history and has enticed many legendary figures.

“That’s rude, you know? I am his comrade, so there’s times when I would also move though?” (Purple)

“I thought I had gotten the better of him.” (Ritial)

“He already considered the possibility of being observed. That’s why he became a decoy, you know?” (Purple)

“…And so, how did you find me?” (Ritial)

“Simple. Just followed your scent? Dyuvuleori’s Nose of Sniffing can smell out all events, but it is also outstanding as a normal hound, you know?” (Purple)

“My Lord, I don’t know about describing it like that. I wouldn’t fall short to a mere dog.” (Dyuvuleori)

“Oh my, are you angry? I don’t know other animals with a good sense of smell though? But that’s how it is. It seems like you tried to pull some tricks there, but we have chased after you with the most simple method, you know?” (Purple)

I have obviously erased my scent. Being able to sniff me out despite that already puts them out of the animal nose category. It must be a supernatural power like my Eyes of Truth.

That alone is already problematic, but even the plain difference in power is also rough.

If I were 20 years younger, maybe I could manage, but…

No, that’s not the only point of regret. I was made to believe the surveillance and the decoy information was working well, and cornered me in this manner. That man must have been aiming for this development from the start.

I have no choice but to admit that I was lacking one more move and admit defeat.

“You all are clearly his enemies, right? Then, it should be okay to murder you all as I please, right?” (Purple)

Contrary to my expectations, the one who came to the front was not the butler devil but the Purple Demon Lord.

My eyes are telling me…that she can move to a decent degree, but her skills are terribly low in comparison to the devil by her side.

Her mana is fiendish, but the total amount is to a degree where it can be calculated.

“My Lord, maybe I really should be the one…” (Dyuvuleori)

“Dyuvuleori, do you want to make me a woman who only waits for the return of her man?” (Purple)

“That’s not the case…but that man also said he would leave it to me…” (Dyuvuleori)

“Yeah, he is a worrywart after all. I appreciate the sentiment, but I am dissatisfied with just being treasured, you know?” (Purple)

“But…” (Dyuvuleori)

“I am of course not going to push myself. I will just deal with everyone aside from that old man there. Keep that man in check so that he doesn’t do anything, okay?” (Purple)

“You are seeing me in quite the high light. I had confidence in the past as a famed adventurer, but those are already bygone days.” (Ritial)

“I don’t care one bit about your background though? He said you are dangerous, so I am simply taking the best measures after listening to his advice, you know?” (Purple)

I see. Looks like he trusts the words of that man greatly. I have finished analyzing them. Let’s try shaking them a bit.

“It seems like you were a princess of renown in your past life. I am impressed you can believe in a scoundrel like that.” (Ritial)

“Oh, I am impressed that you could tell?” (Purple)

“I have eyes that can see through the details of the person after all. I can roughly tell the process in which you became a Demon Lord.” (Ritial)

“Wrong. I am referring to the fact that he is a scoundrel, you know? He is pretty kind when speaking with people he has met for the first time, right?” (Purple)

“He was oozing with hostility from the moment we met, you see. I can tell…that you are being used for his own convenience. That man is showing you a dreamscape of the world you wish and is trying to control you for the sake of his own objective.” (Ritial)

“…And?” (Purple)

The Purple Demon Lord purposely tilts her head while still showing an elegant smile.

What I said just now should have been the impression she has internally and something that she is aware of. In that case, I should have reached her true feelings.

“Are you fine with that?” (Ritial)

“I am obviously fine with that. He is showing me a wonderful dream. He is doing his best for the sake of it. Even if he doesn’t become mine, I can become his alone -I am allowed to. Don’t you think that’s a truly wonderful dream?” (Purple)

“You will eventually wake up from that dream.” (Ritial)

“But the memories remain. Even if it is a daydream, beautiful things are still beautiful, you know?” (Purple)

Good grief… A maiden in love is blind. Looks like that doesn’t change whether you are a human or a Demon Lord.

No matter how far and wide you search in this world, the only one who can create doubts in the heart of this Demon Lord is most likely that man.

If I am to do something about this situation, I will need to eliminate the threat of this devil called Dyuvuleori.

Even if he is a subordinate of a Demon Lord, his strength far surpasses that of the Purple Demon Lord.

Also, he holds loyalty that doesn’t lose to chivalry. It won’t be possible to shake his heart either.

In that case, I shall accept her invitation. I can fortunately keep in place the strongest fighting force here.

“Looks like I can’t entice you with my words. Too bad.” (Ritial)

“Speaking of which, I have not heard your name. Ritial Zentry, can you tell me your true name?” (Purple)

It seems like she knew my name was fake from the very beginning. I thought I would be able to create an opening through my acting if she uses her Enticement on her target through the name of the person as I was told.

“Hahahaha, I am not so senile as to give my name to someone with the power of Enticement.” (Ritial)

“Fufu, figures you would know… But fine. The only one I want to truly entice is that man after all. I will leave the interrogation to someone else.” (Purple)

“Then, allow me to see what a Demon Lord can offer… Brethren, the Demon Lords resurrect through the forbidden. But it will take several generations for her to resurrect if her current body dies. That will be a fruitful time for us -for Leitis. All units, bring upon justice for past grudges.” (Ritial)

◇◇

The people at the back of Ritial were swiftly deployed after the declaration of Ritial.

Some would be clad in light, some would melt into the shadows; some would approach from the front, some would pincer them from the sides, and some would go for the back.

They are pretty fast, too.

I doubt My Lord can see through all of them.

But I am not agitated. I will simply observe the actions of Ritial calmly.

The only one that can cause an eventuality is this man alone. But I am the only one who knows about the strength of My Lord.

My Lord is following the people at her front with her eyes. But she must have judged it to be a hassle to follow the enemies that were zigzagging from the sides, she closed her eyes and laughed.

“No good. I can’t follow them with my eyes… Not like I need to though?” (Purple)

Would it be appropriate to compare it to darkness exploding? Countless shadows bursted out to the surroundings of My Lord.

Those shadows have innumerable claws, horns, and fangs protruding erratically, and gouged the flesh of the approaching humans.

A wide area attack performed by returning the high devils wrapped around her body into their original volume.

The oppressive power of overwhelming mass and volume transformed the approaching enemies into scraps of meat.

“Quite the numbers. It is not only your clothes, even the jewels you had were an amalgamation of devils, huh.” (Ritial)

“Yes. When I deploy the devils transformed in clothes, my skin gets exposed, you know? He pointed that out, but I am actually fine with that. But there’s no need to show it to anyone aside from him, so I decided to just increase their numbers, you know?” (Purple)

“I think there’s no need to show your skin even to that man.” (Dyuvuleori)

The garments of My Lord were weaved with the transformation of devils. But the jewels she wore were even denser than that, and an unbelievable amount of devils resided in them.

Just releasing the mass out onto the world would be extremely dangerous for a human.

If I had to point out a detriment, it would be that My Lord can’t unleash that power of hers satisfactorily with that man around. That wide area attack actually dragged me into it, too.

It is an attack that’s not suitable for precise actions because there’s way too much mass.

It is possible to block it with my barrier, but the possibility of allies getting dragged into the attack if nearby is high.

The attack just now halved their numbers. What the humans learned after a great amount of casualties is that My Lord is truly a Demon Lord.

Everyone took distance, measured the range, and turned their brains.

But that’s pointless. No matter how much an insect struggles, they are just powerless in front of the strong that’s trying to eliminate them.

My Lord waved her hand and the black walls stretched, sweeping away everything in the vision of My Lord.

The people who jumped to avoid it were skewered by the numerous stretched out shadows the moment My Lord directed her gaze there.

The only ones who survived at the front were Ritial and a few of them. The ones at the sides and back were fearing entering the vision of My Lord.

“That’s quite a thoughtless fighting style.” (Ritial)

“Is there a need for technique when crushing insects?” (Purple)

“You…Demon Lord!”

One of them tried to do a sneak attack. But the blade didn’t reach My Lord.

The devils My Lord is clad with have no will. However, they have functions. The countless eyes caught their movements and a dense barrier of devils blocked the attack.

White smoke was coming out from the stopped blade. He must have enchanted the blade with purification magic.

My Lord faced back slowly and looked at the place where the sword was stabbed at.

“Oh my, good job, I guess? A single devil died there, you know?” (Purple)

“Damn it! What unbelievable sturdi—wa?!”

“I shall fill that share with you, okay?” (Purple)

The shadows creeping out from the ground captured the man. And then, the moment his limbs were grabbed, the bones of his legs being crushed to dust rang in the place.

“Gaaaah!”

“It is okay. It won’t be a pointless death. The corpse of a trained human serves really well as a catalyst, you know?” (Purple)

“W-What’s this…? My body… Could it be…I am being transformed into a devil?!”

“I am creating devils in the shape of humans, so the fastest method would be to use people as ingredients, right?” (Purple)

“S-Stop it! I don’t want to become a damn devil!”

“Don’t misunderstand. It is not like you will become a devil, you know? I am making a devil out of you, okay? However, I wouldn’t want one in your shape, so I must grind you down first, right?” (Purple)

“Aaa—”

The man was about to scream, but was swallowed by the shadows just like that.

And then, a hard to describe sound rang over where My Lord is, and a literal rain of blood came down.

“My Lord, there’s no need to go out of your way to bathe in blood…” (Dyuvuleori)

“Isn’t it fine? That’s more Demon Lord-like, right?” (Purple)

“It will dirty your body.” (Dyuvuleori)

“No issues. My devils will lick up every single drop of it after all.” (Purple)

My Lord was wrapped around in shadows in an instant. And then, a clean lord came out with not a single trace of blood left.

“Ah, but maybe he would lick it off me if I were to leave a bit of it on me?” (Purple)

“I don’t think he is the type to lick the blood of people. Even if he is, I would stop it.” (Dyuvuleori)

The battle after that…no, this isn’t worthy of being called a battle -a one-sided slaughter unfolded.

There were people who tried to escape, but their escape route was already blocked by a black wall hardened with devils. My Lord was slowly…but surely crushing the remaining ones.

“Enticement princess that controls countless devils like her limbs. This is battle power hard to imagine from how low your base capabilities are.” (Ritial)

The only ones remaining are Ritial and the two around him. All the other ones have perished.

My Lord intentionally didn’t aim for them, but she did try to drag Ritial into her attacks a few times.

But he managed to avoid them all without breaking a sweat. I should consider him on the same level as Ekdoik in terms of combat power.

“Are the two at your side not coming at me? I don’t really feel like aiming for them if they are by his side, you know?” (Purple)

“Sorry about that. I kept them with me under my orders.” (Ritial)

“I see. Can’t be helped then?” (Purple)

My Lord stretched the shadows and tried to attack. That speed doesn’t lose to the Left Arm of Gouging.

But the 3 are not moving in the face of the approaching shadows.

The huge mass of shadows were repelled just before the attack hit.

“…Oh my?” (Purple)

There’s no need to even use my nose to sniff out the reason why the shadows were repelled. I could see it with my eyes.

It was a barrier, moreover, an extremely sturdy one. It is most likely stronger than the ones I create…

“…Dyuvuleori, break it.” (Purple)

“As you will.” (Dyuvuleori)

My Lord looked at the barrier in front of her eyes and must have felt something ominous from it, she ordered me without hesitation.

The moment I agreed to this, I closed the distance with the Left Leg of Running and the Right Leg of Roaring, smashing the top of the barrier.

But the barrier did not budge at all. This sturdiness is far above that of the ones Rakura Salf casted.

The one who is putting up this barrier is the man that’s by the left of Ritial. This sturdiness despite being at a scale that can cover 3 people.

In that case, I should continue attacking until he runs out of mana or use the Tongue of Control.

“Ritial-sama, preparations are done.”

“Good job. Now then, let’s retreat.” (Ritial)

“?!”

The moment the woman at the right activated some sort of spell, the 3 disappear.

I search the surroundings with my nose, but no hit. I search physically with my Tail of Shaving, but feel nothing around.

They disappeared completely from this place. Just what in the world…

“…That just now was teleport magic? It has been a while since I have been able to see it all the way to activation.” (Purple)

“Teleport magic…?” (Dyuvuleori)

“Yes. It is similar to you devils moving in the shadows. It is a spell that allows them to move through space, you know? As far as I know, the only ones who can use teleport magic are Yugura, Black, and Colorless…but it seems like there was a human that could use it too?” (Purple)

“I don’t think I will be able to chase after their scent either. They have escaped.” (Dyuvuleori)

“Oh, oh my oh my? What should we do? How should I report this to him?” (Purple)

The smile of My Lord disappeared and asked me with a serious face. There’s sweat on her forehead. It looks like she is seriously flustered here.

“…It was after you passed it on to me, so you can just blame it on me.” (Dyuvuleori)

“I was the one who made that judgment though? Ah, but being reprimanded might be a good memory in itself? I wonder how he will get angry at me?” (Purple)

My Lord hugged her own body and began to delira—began to contemplate.

This person has truly become strong. However, I don’t know if this is good or bad.

…The person herself seems to be having fun, so it should be fine. Meaning that I am also happy. Probably… Maybe…

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